Tissue expansion: a method to preserve bone length and joints following traumatic amputations of the leg--a follow-up of five legs amputated at different levels.

Tissue expansion of adjacent intact skin and subcutaneous tissue has in five legs provided high-quality soft-tissue coverage of the distal end in legs amputated at different levels without further shortening of the bone. The sensitivity of slowly expanded flaps is temporarily affected but eventually seems to return to normal. Expanded flaps have endured both sitting and the use of prostheses for 4 to 5 years. In one case the technique made it possible to save the knee joint. Besides being a functional reconstruction, the appearance of the reconstructed parts much improved. A technique of overexpansion and double flap coverage of the bone utilizing deepithelialization is described.